May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.
Care Package
Poems, meditations, films, and other cultural nutrients for times like this.
Care Package, the Asian Pacific American Center's online exhibition curated with love in difficult times. This exhibition includes short films, poems, music, and meditations.
Open Care Package »
Image Credit: Graphic courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Site from the National Archives
The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the Asian and Pacific Islanders experience, and highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.
Visit the site »
Image Credit: Copy of group photo submitted in 12017/2720; (From File Unit: Return Certificate Application Case File of Chinese Departing -- Arthur F. Lym (12017/5542), 1894 - 1915.)
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Collection
The AAPI Collection features more than 230 public radio and television programs in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting from 1965 to 2019 that highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures in the United States. The collection includes interviews with Asian American artists and writers, such as Maya Lin, Aimee Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Amy Tan, and Frank Chin.
Image Credit: Poster “We Belong Here” by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, 2021. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, © Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, LC-DIG-ppbd-01204. Special Use Permissions for Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya's images
National Park Service Celebrates Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a rich heritage thousands of years old and have both shaped the history of the United States and had their lives dramatically influenced by moments in its history. Every May during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and throughout the year, the National Park Service and its partners share those histories and the continuing culture thriving in parks and communities today.
Visit the site »
Image credit: [Detail of] Statue of Liberty National Monument, courtesy of National Park Service.
Stories from the VHP: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American Veterans
Today there are more than 300,000 living Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American veterans. The Library of Congress's Veteran's History Project honors those veterans who have shared their stories, veterans such as
Kurt
Chew-Een Lee, Jaden
Kim, Kenje Ogata,
Maginia Sajise Morales,
Peter Young and
Veasna Rouen. The
digital collection Asian Pacific
Americans: Going for Broke highlights additional stories from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and
Iraq. (Library of Congress)
Left image credit: [Detail of] Kenje Ogata in uniform, Sterling, Illinois. 1943. Kenje Ogata Collection (AFC2001/001/76800), Veterans History Project, Library of Congress.
Right image credit: [Detail of] Kimberly Mitchell taken for National University, San Diego, CA. Kimberly Mitchell Collection (AFC2001/001/113667), Veterans History Project, Library of Congress.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and History in the U.S.
Since 1990, the U.S. government has designated the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States. This Teacher's Guide offers a collection of lessons and resources for K-12 social studies, literature, and arts classrooms that center around the experiences, achievements, and perspectives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across U.S. history.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
2022 Event Highlights
Author Discussion Panel
May 2
Memory, Experience & Imagination in Works of Lao & Hmong American Authors
This event provides a unique forum for Lao and Hmong American authors to discuss their work and intellectual endeavors. The writers, Kao Kalia Yang, Bryan Thao Worra and Thavisouk Phrasavath will reflect on their work before joining a larger conversation with the audience.
(Library of Congress)
Online Concert
May 4
Herb Ohta Jr. | 'Ukulele Virtuoso from Hawai'i
International recording artist Herb Ohta, Jr., is one of today's most prolific 'ukulele masters. Influenced by Jazz, R&B, Latin and Brazilian music, as well as traditional Hawaiian sounds, he puts his stamp on Hawaiian music by pushing the limits of tone and technique on this beautiful instrument.
This concert will stream on the Library of Congress YouTube channel
(Library of Congress)
Virtual Children's Workshop
May 4
Young Portrait Explorers - Lili'uokalani
Join our virtual workshop for children ages 3- 6 and their adult companions as we learn about art, history and more! This thirty-minute program, featuring a portrait of Lili'uokalani, incorporates close looking at portraiture, movement, and art-making.
Free tickets, registration required
(National Portrait Gallery--Smithsonian Institution)
Book Talk
May 4
Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and Gwendolyn Mink join us to discuss their new biography of Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink, “Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress.” The book provides vivid details of how trailblazer Patsy Mink changed the future of American politics.
(Library of Congress)
Online Event
May 10
Food for the Body and Soul: Advocating for Community through Culinary Traditions
Drawing from the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum's new exhibition, "Food for the People: Eating and Activism in Greater Washington," this free spring series of virtual cooking demonstrations and conversations features women chefs in the greater Washington, D.C., area. Chef Janet Yu, owner of Hollywood East Café in Wheaton, Maryland, shares stories and prepares recipes from her home kitchen that draw upon her family's Chinese heritage.
Free streaming presentation; registration required
(Smithsonian Institution)
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